Over 10K Indians in foreign jails; 50% in Saudi, UAE

New Delhi: As per the information available with the Ministry of External Affairs, the number of Indian prisoners, including undertrials, in foreign jails at present is 10,152, the government informed Parliament on Friday.

Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh in a written response to a query in the Lok Sabha shared country-wise data on such prisoners. The data shared under the head 'total number of Indians under trail and convicted in foreign jails at present' included for 86 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the UAE, Qatar, Nepal, Pakistan, the US, Sri Lanka, Spain, Russia, Israel, China, Bangladesh and Argentina.

While 2,633 Indian prisoners are in jails in Saudi Arabia and 2,518 such prisoners are in jails in the UAE, as per the data shared in his response. Also, 1,317 Indian prisoners are in jails in Nepal, while the corresponding numbers in Pakistan and Sri Lanka stand at 266 and 98 respectively, according to the data. "As per the information available with the Ministry, the number of Indian prisoners, including undertrials, in foreign prisons at present is 10,152," Singh said. 

The government was asked whether it has come to its notice that a large number of Indians, especially people from Kerala, are boarded in jails in Qatar after the FIFA World Cup. “As per the information available with the Ministry, the number of Indian prisoners, including undertrials, in Qatari jails is 611. However, due to strong privacy laws, Government of Qatar does not share information on prisoners unless the person concerned consents to the disclosure of such information. Therefore, state-wise data of Indian prisoners is not available,” Singh said.

“Moreover, the government has not noticed any abnormal increase in number of Indian prisoners in Qatari jails after the World Cup,” he said. In his response, the Union minister underlined that the government attaches “high priority to the safety, security and well-being of Indians in foreign countries, including those in the foreign jails”.

The Indian Missions and Posts remain vigilant to ensure that rights of the Indian prisoners in foreign jails are protected, Singh said.

Apart from extending all possible consular assistance to the Indians imprisoned abroad, the Indian Missions and Posts also assist in providing legal aid wherever needed. Missions and Posts also maintain a local panel of lawyers where the Indian community is in sizeable numbers, the government said.